‘Landman’ creator Taylor Sheridan to deliver UT Austin commencement this spring
“Landman” creator Taylor Sheridan is gearing up for a big audience — but not on TV.
The North Texas native has been tapped by the University of Texas at Austin to deliver the commencement address at spring graduation next month. The ceremony is set for May 10 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
More than 50,000 people are expected to attend the ceremony, including students, parents and staff, according to the university.
“As a native Texan and a visionary storyteller, Taylor Sheridan has redefined the modern Western genre while remaining deeply connected to the spirit and resilience of our great state,” UT interim President Jim Davis said in a news release. “His journey to the top of the entertainment field is a testament to the power of hard work, creativity and staying true to one’s roots — values that resonate deeply with Longhorn Nation. We are thrilled to welcome him to the Forty Acres as this year’s ceremony speaker.”
This year’s UT Austin commencement will recognize over 10,000 students from 17 degree-granting colleges and schools. Jeannie Leavitt, the first female fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force, delivered the spring commencement speech last year.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be invited to speak at the UT Austin commencement,” Sheridan said in a press release. “This university has long been known to champion excellence, integrity and bold ideas, and I’m excited to celebrate the class of 2025 as they step into the next chapter of their lives.”
The commencement announcement comes about two months after Texas State University announced plans to award Sheridan an honorary doctorate.
Sheridan and two other people — Jack Martin and Nathali Parker Weisman — will receive their “Doctor of Letters” degree at a future date, according to Texas State. Sheridan was a theatre major at the university until he dropped out in 1991.
A look at Taylor Sheridan’s career
Sheridan began his entertainment career as an actor three decades ago.
From episodes in “Walker, Texas Ranger” and “Party of Five,” to “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman” and “Star Trek: Enterprise,” Sheridan worked steadily as an actor from the late ‘90s to early ‘00s. His longest tenured acting job was on the biker series “Sons of Anarchy” as Deputy Chief David Hale for 21 episodes from 2008 to 2010.
Sheridan’s first screenwriting credit would come in 2015’s “Sicario,” an action-thriller about the drug war along the U.S. and Mexico border. “Hell or High Water,” a film he wrote, released just one year later and earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
In 2017, Sheridan wrote and directed the crime thriller “Wind River” about a murder on a Native American reservation. But three movies in three years was just the beginning for Sheridan’s Hollywood career.
The Paramount Network premiered the Sheridan co-created series “Yellowstone” in 2018 to much acclaim. From then on, Paramount would stay in business with Sheridan.
In 2021, two Sheridan-created shows premiered on Paramount+: “Mayor of Kingstown” and the “Yellowstone” prequel “1883.” By 2022, Paramount+ rolled out a couple more Sheridan shows in “Tulsa King” and another “Yellowstone” prequel, “1923.”
“Lioness” and “Lawmen: Bass Reeves” premiered in 2023, followed by the Billy Bob Thornton-led “Landman” in 2024 and “1923” season 2 earlier this year.
Currently, Sheridan is in post-production on “The Madison” and in production on “Landman” season 2 in and around Fort Worth. The show is likely to film in Cowtown until this summer.
